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Background: Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY) is widely used as graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, with reported clinical benefits in patients who underwent transplant from a matched unrelated donor (MUD). However, real-life data on clinical efficacy and safety of PTCY in haploidentical and MUD transplantations are still poor. Methods: In our real-life retrospective observational study, we included a total of 40 consecutive adult patients who underwent haploidentical or MUD HSCT for various hematological malignancies and who received PTCY (n = 24) or ATG (n = 16) as GvHD prophylaxis at Hematology Units from hospitals of Salerno and Avellino, Italy, and clinical outcomes were compared. Results: We showed protective effects of PTCY against disease relapse with the relapse rate after transplantation of 16% versus 50% in the ATG arm (p = 0.02). All-cause mortality was lower (36% vs. 75%; p = 0.02) and the 2-year overall survival was slightly superior in patients administered PTCY (61% vs. 42%; p = 0.26). Conclusions: We support the use of PTCY, even in a real-life setting; however, the optimization of this protocol should be further investigated to better balance relapse prevention and GvHD prophylaxis.

Melioidosis, caused by the environmental gramnegative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic in northern Australia (1). The most common clinical manifestation of the infection is pneumonia, with or without bacteremia, but [...]

Abstract Background In the pediatric oncology population, oral mucositis as a consequence of chemotherapy is a highly prevalent complication which strongly affects both the quality of life and treatment possibilities of the patients. Still, the etiopathological mechanisms carrying to its development are not fully understood, although a possible role of oral dysbiosis has been previously investigated with unclear conclusions. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the available evidence on the role of microbiota in the development of oral mucositis. Methods A systematic literature search was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Three electronic databases were searched up until April 2023 and a following manual search included the reference lists of the included studies and reviews. Studies reporting microbiological and clinical data of pediatric patients treated by antineoplastic drugs were included. Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting an average mucositis prevalence of 57,6%. Candida albicans infections were frequently observed in studies performing microbiological analysis on oral lesions, in contrast with the low rate detection of the Herpes simplex viruses. Bacterial species such as coagulase-negative Staphylococci and Streptococcus viridans were detected more frequently on lesion sites. Studies reporting a quantitative analysis of the general flora did not show comparable results. Risk of bias assessment among studies was generally considered high or very high. Conclusions While the specific role of certain microbiological agents, such as Candida albicans, was frequently reported among studies, data regarding the general dynamics of oral microbiota in the development of oral mucositis are lacking in the current literature. Thus, more studies are needed to provide the knowledge required in order to improve protocols for the prevention and treatment of this threatening complication.

Industrial and technological evolution has led to the identification of different techniques and strategies that can best adapt to the needs of Manufacturing Industry 4.0. As industrial production has become more automated, the need for more efficient maintenance strategies has increased. Today, among the possible, several applications demonstrate how the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) strategy is the best performing. In fact, PdM makes it possible to predict an impending failure with high accuracy in order to intervene before failure occurs. This work focuses on the application of PdM technique in order to predict the type of chips produced by a lathe through a machine learning algorithm. Moreover, being our application a delay-sensitive one, to drastically decrease the time delay in prediction, our solution proposes the combination of PdM with the Edge Computing paradigm. To simulate this paradigm, the chosen machine learning models were deployed on STM microcontrollers obtaining both high accuracy (98%) and an inference time in the order of milliseconds.

Melioidosis, caused by the environmental gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, usually develops in adults with predisposing conditions and in Australia more commonly occurs during the monsoonal wet season. We report an outbreak of 7 cases of melioidosis in immunocompetent children in Australia. All the children had participated in a single-day sporting event during the dry season in a tropical region of Australia, and all had limited cutaneous disease. All case-patients had an adverse reaction to oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole treatment, necessitating its discontinuation. We describe the clinical features, environmental sampling, genomic epidemiologic investigation, and public health response to the outbreak. Management of this outbreak shows the potential benefits of making melioidosis a notifiable disease. The approach used could also be used as a framework for similar outbreaks in the future.

This work presents the study of a reproducible acoustic emission method based on the launching of a metallic sphere and low-cost piezoelectric diaphragm. For this purpose, tests were first conducted on a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer structure, and then on an aluminum structure for comparative analysis. The pencil-lead break (PLB) tests were also conducted for comparisons with the proposed method. Different launching heights and elastic deformations of the structures were investigated. The results show higher repeatability for the sphere impact method, as the PLB is more affected by human inaccuracy, and it was also effective in damage detection.

Angulated-screw channels (ASCs) allow the clinician to employ screw-retained restorations in almost all cases, as the access hole can be moved away from the vestibular portion of the crown, where it would jeopardize the final esthetic result. The objective of this study was to compare screw-retained restorations employing ASCs with restorations cemented on angled abutments. In this study, 30 subjects, equally divided into two groups: group 1 (cemented restorations on angulated abutments) and group 2 (screw-retained restorations adopting ASCs), were treated and retrospectively compared after 2 years using the pink esthetic score (PES) and the white esthetic score (WES). All restorations were in use at the last follow-up, with a survival rate of 100%. Three mechanical complications were observed (2 chippings and 1 crown came loose), with a success rate of 93% in group 1 and 87% in group 2 (p > 0.05). No statistically significant differences were reported regarding the esthetic outcome; the marginal bone loss (MBL) showed better results for the screw-retained restorations, both at the distal aspect (group 1 = 0.98 mm ± 0.16; group 2 = 0.45 mm ± 0.06; p = 0.006) and at the mesial aspect (group 1 = 1.04 ± 0.27; group 2 = 0.45 ± 0.005; p < 0.001). From an esthetical perspective, screw-retained restorations with ASCs and cemented restorations on angulated abutments are both effective means of restoring implants; both have excellent esthetic outcomes, but screw-retained restorations have reduced bone loss when compared to cemented ones but are more prone to mechanical complications. Still, our results must be cautiously observed given the reduced dimension of our sample. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.

In cases of severe horizontal atrophy, implant placement requires bone reconstruction procedures. The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the outcomes of bone augmentation with simultaneous implant placement using the shell technique to the outcomes of guided bone regeneration (GBR) in cases of severely horizontal bone atrophy. This study was designed as a monocentric, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial with a six-month follow-up. Among the primary outcomes of this study, peri-implant bone regeneration and peri-implant bone defect closure were selected. Forty-four patients were recruited and equally divided between two groups. In the GRB group, a horizontal regeneration of 2.31 ± 0.23 mm was observed opposed to a horizontal regeneration of 2.36 ± 0.17 mm in the shell group (p = 0.87). A volumetric increase was observed in both groups, with an increase of 0.30 ± 0.12 cm3 in the GBR group and an increase of 0.39 ± 0.09 cm3 in the shell group, highlighting a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.02). In conclusion, bone augmentation with simultaneous implant placement using the shell technique or guided bone regeneration in horizontal bone atrophy are both predictable therapeutic options.

Abstract Purpose The remodeling process following tooth extraction can be observed as horizontal and vertical bone reduction of the alveolar ridge. Preservation procedures such as alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) aim to maintain the 3D volume of the extraction site. This retrospective study analyzed differences in the hard and soft tissue changes in patients treated with either spontaneous healing or ARP. Methods After tooth extraction, the patients were treated either by spontaneous socket healing (SH group) or with ARP using a xenograft and a resorbable membrane (ARP group). One week before and 6 months after extraction, the patients underwent cone beam computed tomography. A volumetric analysis was performed by superimposing the digital models of the two time points. Intraoral radiography was performed after implant placement, upon prosthesis delivery, and at 1-year post-treatment. An esthetic assessment was conducted using the Pink Esthetic Score (PES). The patients’ overall satisfaction with the implant restoration was investigated at 12 months. Results Intragroup comparisons revealed significant differences between baseline and the 6-month follow-up in both groups at the measured locations (1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm below the most coronal aspect of the alveolar ridge) showing a reduction of the horizontal width (P

Aim: Mandibular anterior deep gingival recessions are complex to manage in individuals who lack sufficient keratinized tissue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical and esthetic outcomes and tissue stability of mucogingival procedures performed by means of a free gingival graft (FGG) or subepithelial connective tissue graft (SCTG) 2to 5-years postoperatively and to identify the esthetic outcome perception of the patients at follow-up. Materials and methods: Individuals presenting RT1 and RT2 gingival recessions treated with an FGG or SCTG in the mandibular anterior sextant were recalled to evaluate clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction postoperatively. A visual analog scale (VAS) and recession esthetic score (RES) were used for the evaluation. Results: A total of 32 consecutive individuals, 16 in each group (FGG/SCTG), responding to the follow-up appointment, entered this study. RT2 recessions were prevalent (87.5% FGG; 68.8% SCTG). Mean recession depth (RD) at baseline was 4.68 ± 0.76 (range: 4 to 6 mm) and 5.31 ± 1.35 (range: 4 to 10 mm) for the SCTG and FGG groups, respectively, and 0.18 ± 0.34 and 0.43 ± 0.49, respectively, at follow-up. Keratinized tissue width (KTW) was significantly greater in FGG individuals at follow-up: 5.25 ± 0.84 vs 2.84 ± 1.12 (P < 0.0001; confidence interval [CI]: 1.70 to 3.12). The SCTG group showed a higher RES than the FGG group, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.067, CI: 0.007 to 1.94). The patients' perception (VAS) of satisfactory esthetics was statistically significantly higher than the professional RES assessment for FGG individuals (P = 0.007, CI: 0.36 to 2.01), but the difference between the VAS and RES values was not statistically significant for the SCTG group. Conclusions: Both SCTGs and FGGs provide satisfactory esthetics and tissue stability. Patients' esthetic perception of FGGs is significantly higher than the professional evaluation. Clinical relevance: When 100% root coverage is not achieved using an FGG, satisfactory esthetic outcomes with minimal residual recessions of < 1 mm can be accomplished on the more challenging RT2 defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of regenerative medicine, acrylated epoxidized vegetable oils are emerging as a promising avenue of exploration. The aim of this study is to evaluate the degradability of two formulations of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO): pure AESO and AESO diluted with soybean oil (SO) for potential bioprintability applications. The comprehensive investigation of these two polymeric formulations included optimization of polymerization conditions, confirmation of cytocompatibility, and, most importantly, the study of their degradability. The results reveal that AESO, used as a biomaterial for biomedical applications, undergoes a distinctive degradation process, combining both enzymatic and oxidative degradation (AESO/SO samples lose 29.45% of their weight after 60 days). This phenomenon is the result of a complex interplay of factors, including the chemical composition and physical characteristics of the polymer, the unique tissue environment in which it is implanted, and the duration of implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs), whether within the context of a mentor-mentee experience or a classroom framework, represent an excellent opportunity to expose students to the independent scholarship model. The high impact of undergraduate research has received recent attention in the context of STEM disciplines. Reflecting a 2017 survey of statistics faculty, this article examines the perceived benefits of UREs, as well as barriers to the incorporation of UREs, specifically within the field of statistics. Viewpoints of students, faculty mentors, and institutions are investigated. Further, the article offers several strategies for leveraging characteristics unique to the field of statistics to overcome barriers and thereby provide greater opportunity for undergraduate statistics students to gain research experience.

Abstract When modelling the survival distribution of a disease for which the symptomatic progression of the associated condition is insidious, it is not always clear how to measure the failure/censoring times from some true date of disease onset. In a prevalent cohort study with follow-up, one approach for removing any potential influence from the uncertainty in the measurement of the true onset dates is through the utilization of only the residual lifetimes. As the residual lifetimes are measured from a well-defined screening date (prevalence day) to failure/censoring, these observed time durations are essentially error free. Using residual lifetime data, the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator (NPMLE) may be used to estimate the underlying survival function. However, the resulting estimator can yield exceptionally wide confidence intervals. Alternatively, while parametric maximum likelihood estimation can yield narrower confidence intervals, it may not be robust to model misspecification. Using only right-censored residual lifetime data, we propose a stacking procedure to overcome the non-robustness of model misspecification; our proposed estimator comprises a linear combination of individual nonparametric/parametric survival function estimators, with optimal stacking weights obtained by minimizing a Brier Score loss function.

A 40-year-old male patient presented with diffuse radiolucent lesions on the upper maxilla at the apex of the incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Surgical excision of the lesions was performed, and the biopsy specimens were submitted for histological analysis: the lesions of the first quadrant were found to be a squamous odontogenic tumor, a rare benign neoplasm of odontogenic origin. The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical, radiographic and histological aspects of odontogenic squamous tumor.